Variant 1 You could have come first and won the race if you … faster

16. Ann is extremely careless – she loses something … every day.
A) nearer B) next C) near D) nearly
17. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?”
The woman asked the tour guide what time … the next day.
A) we left B) they were leaving C) do we leave D) did they leave
18. The yard is covered with snow. It … all night.
A) has snowed B) has been snowing C) was snowing D) snowed
19. Let`s look at my college photo. Can you recognize me … it?
A) in B) at C) on D) to
20. I called her Mary instead of Martha … mistake.
A) at B) with C) for D) by


To see the big obstacle facing renewable energy, look at Denmark. It has some of the world`s largest wind farms. Yet because consumer demand for electricity is often lowest when the winds blow hardest, Denmark sometimes has to sell its extra electricity to neighbouring countries at low prices - only to buy energy back when demand rises, at much higher prices. Companies in Texas face a similar mismatch between supply and demand; they sometimes have to pay customers to take energy from their windmills and solar farms. In theory, the wind and sun could supply the US with all the electricity it requires. In practice, however, both sources are too unreliable to supply more than 20% of a region's total energy capacity. Beyond that point, balancing supply and demand becomes too very difficult. What is needed are cheaper and more efficient ways of keeping power in reserve so that it can be accessed when the winds are not blowing and the sun is not shining.
21. According to the passage, Denmark …
A) has been experiencing the drawbacks of using wind farms for energy.
B) wants to reduce the demand for electricity when the winds are blowing hard.
C) pays a lot of money for electricity it does not use.
D) sells all of the energy it produces to other countries for profit.


22. What could be the best title for the passage?
A) Why Renewable Energy is the Best Solution.
B) The Inevitable High Cost of Producing Electricity.
C) Problems Involved in the Use of Renewable Energy.
D) Comparisons of the Use of Wind Power in the US and Denmark.